Really, 3.5 stars. I might not have taken enough time with this book. It feels like it'd be better as a bookclub book (so many conversation starters) than as a book to read on your own.Some things I'd discuss in my imaginary bookclub:What about Aubrey's philosophy makes sense to you? What takes things too far?Why don't more students run away?Who are the people who work here? True or dare--What did you do in high school that could get you sent to Roaring Orchards? I worked for 3 years at a (well-run)Residential Treatment program,and work now at a school for students with "emotional and behavioral disorders," which obviously is why I was interested in this book. Though of course the book was a distopian satire, it rang very true with my experience of places like this. The seemingly smallest details-- such as the reference to individualized education programs and the campus-specific lingo like "sheeting" and "cornering"-- are what made the story ring so true. That, and the very adept portraiture of the staff's struggles between a real desire to help the students and a cynical resignation to working within such a messed-up system, which causes them to be insensitive, morally questionable, and sometimes outright cruel. In addition, Josefson's clever use of unreliable narration suits the personality (or lack thereof) of the [anti-]hero Benjamin perfectly. I couldn't stop reading That's Not a Feeling; the craft and story are truly unique.
What do You think about That Not A Feeling (2000)?
One of the most confusing yet intriguing books I have ever read. *review soon*
—baby7
A book that makes the reader work, and is all the better for that.
—Laurenroselove
could have cut a hundred or so pages and been a better book
—Queenie
